Hamstring strain could cost Celtics’ Robert Williams 7-10 games - Boston Globe

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/05/sports/hamstring-strain-could-cost-celtics-robert-williams-7-10-games/

Hamstring strain could cost Celtics’ Robert Williams 7-10 games
By Adam Himmelsbach Globe Staff,Updated March 5, 2023, 7:41 p.m.

Celtics center Robert Williams could be sidelined for 7-10 games due to a hamstring strain he suffered during the third quarter of the Friday loss to the Nets, coach Joe Mazzulla said Sunday.

“But those things can change depending upon how quickly he can get back to sprinting,” Mazzulla said. “So, just kind of have to see.”

Williams tore the meniscus in his left knee last March and missed about a month before returning for the playoffs, but he often appeared hobbled during Boston’s run to the Finals. When pain returned in September, he underwent a maintenance surgery on the knee and was sidelined for the first 29 games of this season.

This year, he is averaging 8.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in just 24.2 minutes per contest, but his playing time has ramped up recently. His current injury appears minor.

Williams declined an interview request before Sunday’s game against the Knicks, but was seen walking without any sign of a limp. Derrick White started in his place.

“I think he’s done a good job of his rehab and coming back and working through stuff,” Mazzulla said. “So, we’re not going to rush him by any means. But when he’s healthy, we need him and we want to play him. So, whenever he comes back, we’ll be ready.”

Guard Malcolm Brogdon, meanwhile, missed his second game in a row because of a sore ankle.

The Knicks had an even more significant absence, with star point guard Jalen Brunson sidelined due to foot soreness. Immanuel Quickley started in his place.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, whose team brought an eight-game winning streak into Sunday, has been impressed by the play of the Celtics, calling it “a monster season.”

“They’ve got quality depth,” Thibodeau said. “The strength of their club is they have some elite players in [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown, and I put Marcus Smart in there for the things he brings to the team. Then when you look at their bench, they have starters who come off the bench. So that’s why their record is what it is. They’re top five in offense, top five in defense.”

Boston’s defense has slipped a bit since the All-Star break, however. In the five games prior to Sunday’s matchup, the Celtics surrendered 118.1 points per 100 possessions, the 18th-ranked defensive rating in the NBA over that span.

“We’re just kind of not guarding the ball as well as we should,” Mazzulla said. “Our lack of offensive execution at times affects our transition defense. Our foul rate isn’t where it was at the beginning of the year. So we’ve just got to get back to the details of being just more solid and then just really honing in on our individual defense.”